When Sagiri fell into the pool, he must have dropped Nokai halfway down because he could not feel its hilt around his hand. He could feel it, though not far away at the bottom of the pool, as if they were tied to each other. He could also feel it fading as he faded slightly under the weight of the rocks. Even with the archive pumping in his veins like blood, he still needed to breathe.
"Nokai?" he called on instinct as if he had done it before, and even with the whisper, he could feel Nokai stir where one of his blades touched the water. Opening his mouth underwater and especially under a pile of rocks was torturous, and even the mumble to call Nokai filled water into his mouth. Nokai had stirred at the mere mumble, however, as if he was answering to his will.
